KUALA LUMPUR: Police have recorded statements from 127 people and opened five investigation papers into matters highlighted in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Lembaga Tabung Haji.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said several more people, including witnesses from overseas, would be called to assist in the investigations.
He said the investigations were being conducted under the Penal Code, Tabung Haji Act 1995, Companies Act 1965 and Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
“The investigations are being conducted independently, transparently and professionally, in accordance with the law.
“Any party found to be involved in criminal acts will be dealt with accordingly under the prevailing laws,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Comm Rusdi also urged the public not to speculate or spread unverified information about the ongoing investigations, saying this could potentially affect the investigation process.
“The public is urged to obtain information only from official channels,” he said.
Meanwhile, a former Tabung Haji chief executive officer has been remanded for seven days to assist a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation into alleged misappropriation involving investments and shares worth about RM190mil.
The man, in his 60s, was detained at about 3.30pm on Thursday after turning up at the MACC headquarters to have his statement recorded.
He was brought before Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah at the Putrajaya Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where a seven-day remand order was granted until Aug 27.
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said the case was being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009.
The arrest is part of MACC’s probe into the RCI findings on Tabung Haji.
Last week, MACC detained seven individuals, including four former senior Tabung Haji management personnel, over several alleged offences.
The suspects included a shipping company CEO in his 60s, who holds a Datuk title, and two others, aged in their 60s and holding the titles Datuk and Datuk Seri respectively.
The shipping company CEO was detained for allegedly submitting documents containing false particulars when making payments to Tabung Haji.
He was also suspected of falsifying a contract document involving a petroleum company for the benefit of his own company.
The other two suspects were detained for allegedly misleading Tabung Haji officers into investing in a construction company by claiming that it had the potential to be listed on Bursa Malaysia.
The four former senior Tabung Haji management personnel aged in their 50s and 60s, including a Datuk Seri and a woman, were detained over alleged corrupt practices that led to Tabung Haji entering into a lease agreement for four hotels in Saudi Arabia with a company for SR2.49bil.
The agreement was alleged to have resulted in losses to Tabung Haji.
Only two male suspects – the shipping company CEO and a director of the construction company who holds a Datuk title – were remanded for five days until Aug 19.
The other five were released on MACC bail due to health problems.
The RCI report was made public through the Malaysian Islamic Development Department official portal on July 29.
